Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that quarterback Deshaun Watson will play in Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Stefanski’s announcement comes two days after a woman filed a lawsuit against Watson accusing him of sexual assault and battery.
Stefanski said he did not know about the allegations before the lawsuit was filed Monday. The coach also referred to the team’s statement when asked about the latest allegations against Watson.
On Tuesday, the Browns organization said it will follow the NFL’s guidelines regarding the new accusation against Watson.
A woman sued Watson in Harris County, Texas, on Monday and also accused him of intentional infliction of emotional distress in the suit. The incident allegedly occurred on a date at the woman’s apartment in October 2020.
According to the lawsuit, Watson first met the woman at a Houston restaurant in July 2020. After a period of exchanging texts, he asked to meet that October, and the woman invited Watson to her apartment for dinner. The lawsuit alleged that after calling the woman’s cellphone and “aggressively yelling and screaming and stating that he could not find her apartment,” Watson arrived and undressed himself while waiting for the woman to finish getting ready in her bathroom.
Upon coming out of her bathroom, the woman found Watson “completely naked on her bed,” according to the lawsuit. Watson then insisted she massage his buttocks, despite the woman repeating that she wasn’t a masseuse, per the lawsuit. She said she was afraid and attempted to massage his back instead. Watson turned over, the lawsuit alleged, then grabbed her and sexually assaulted her for several minutes. She eventually escaped and grabbed a piece of furniture for self-defense, the lawsuit said, and Watson left.
“This is an extremely serious matter,” Tony Buzbee, the woman’s lawyer, told The Athletic in an email. “We intend to pursue this case with the same aggressiveness with which we pursued the others.”
According to the lawsuit, the woman was discouraged from coming forward with her story after seeing how previous women who made allegations against Watson were treated by Watson’s defense team and the public. The filing said the woman first attempted to resolve issues with Watson without filing a public lawsuit, but those efforts failed.
As a result of the alleged incident, the woman suffers from severe mental anguish, panic attacks, depression and anxiety, per the lawsuit. She is seeking damages of over $1 million.
In a statement released Wednesday by Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, the quarterback “strongly” denied the latest allegations of sexual assault described in the lawsuit.
“Deshaun strongly denies the allegations in the Jane Doe lawsuit filed Monday,” the statement said. “We have asked him not to comment further while this matter works its way through the courts, but are comfortable he will ultimately be vindicated.
“We will be ready to defend this case in court at the appropriate time, but don’t intend to conduct our defense in the media. We would ask that people be patient while the legal process runs its course. In the meantime, Deshaun is going to focus his energy and concentration on football.”
The lawsuit comes more than two years after Watson reached settlements with over two dozen women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Twenty-four women filed lawsuits alleging assault or harassment between 2020 and 2021.
On Tuesday, the NFL said Watson was not placed on the commissioner’s exempt list in light of the new lawsuit.
“We are reviewing the complaint and we will look into the matter under the Personal Conduct Policy,” a league spokesperson said. “Not looking at Commissioner’s Exempt list as there’s been no formal charges and the league’s review has just begun.”
Watson struggled in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Cowboys, completing 53 percent of his passes for 196 yards, while throwing one touchdown and two interceptions.
(Photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
